MIT Technology Review - explosiveshttp://www.technologyreview.com/tagged/explosives/
enAn Ultrasensitive Explosives Detectorhttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/420882/an-ultrasensitive-explosives-detector/
<p>Nanowire arrays are a thousand times more sensitive than dog noses at sniffing out explosives.</p><p>A nanowire sensor made by researchers at Tel Aviv University can detect extremely small traces of commonly used explosives in liquid or air in a few seconds. The device is a thousand times more sensitive than the current gold standard in explosives detection: the sniffer dog.</p>Wed, 22 Sep 2010 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices420882 at http://www.technologyreview.comHow to Find Hidden Explosives at Airportshttp://www.technologyreview.com/view/416933/how-to-find-hidden-explosives-at-airports/
<p>We already have the technology for discovering hidden explosives, but it could lead to long lines.</p><p>The bomb that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab reportedly tried to set off as his flight neared Detroit on Christmas could have been detected using existing screening technologies, had they only been used. Not only could the explosives have been spotted using back-scatter X-rays or millimeter wave technology–which can see through clothes–invisible traces of the explosive could have been detected using chemical sensors. But both technologies, if used to screen all passengers, would lead to long lines at airport security checkpoints. </p>Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:00:00 +0000digitalservices416933 at http://www.technologyreview.comA Helmet Patch to Measure Blastshttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/410969/a-helmet-patch-to-measure-blasts/
<p>Researchers are developing a cheap, lightweight plastic strip that can be worn on a soldier’s helmet to help diagnose brain injury.</p><p>Since the start of the war in Iraq, soldiers have returned home at an alarming rate with a highly complex battlefield injury: traumatic brain injury (TBI). The injury, which is frequently caused by the blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) or rocket-propelled grenade, can be difficult to detect and diagnose. The difficulty is made worse because the number and severity of the blasts to which a soldier has been exposed are often unknown. </p>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices410969 at http://www.technologyreview.comPortable Plastic Explosives Detectorhttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/410212/portable-plastic-explosives-detector/
<p>An explosives detector that uses luminescent polymers is being field-tested in Iraq.</p><p>In 2001, Richard Reid boarded an American Airlines flight with plastic explosives inside his shoes. Since then, Americans have had to remove their shoes during airport security checks and, at some airports, go through an air puffer that uses spectrometry to check passengers for traces of explosives. A new, easy to use explosives detector developed by <a href="http://www.redxdefense.com/" target="_blank">RedXDefense</a> of Rockville, MD, could provide a quick, simple visual diagnostic for the plastic explosives favored by terrorists like Reid. The device is portable and designed for use by nonscientists at security checkpoints and under harsh conditions. The detector is currently undergoing field tests in Iraq.</p>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices410212 at http://www.technologyreview.comDetecting Hydrogen-Peroxide Explosiveshttp://www.technologyreview.com/view/408632/detecting-hydrogen-peroxide-explosives/
<p>New technologies could help authorities prevent terrorist attacks.</p><p>On Wednesday, German police <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/world/europe/06germany.html?ref=europe" taget="_blank" target="_blank">found stockpiles</a> of concentrated hydrogen peroxide. The substance can be used to create a potent liquid explosive of the type used before in terrorist attacks, and which authorities have long feared could be used on airplanes. Technologies are currently being developed for detecting such explosives at airports. We wrote about one of these technologies <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/17846/" taget="_blank">last year</a>. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security described in its <a href="http://www.homelandsecurity.org/snapshots/newsletter/2007-07.htm#menace" taget="_blank" target="_blank">monthly newsletter</a> a method of detecting various liquids.</p>Thu, 06 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices408632 at http://www.technologyreview.comEasier Detection of Explosiveshttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/408010/easier-detection-of-explosives/
<p>A new substance could be used in portable sensors to reveal traces of explosives.</p><p>Researchers at MIT have created a molecule that glows a distinctive light-blue color in the presence of two common but difficult to detect explosives. The compound could be incorporated into small, easy-to-use devices for detecting traces of hidden explosives at airports and on the battlefield. </p>Tue, 05 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices408010 at http://www.technologyreview.comLithium-Ion Batteries That Don't Explodehttp://www.technologyreview.com/news/407941/lithium-ion-batteries-that-dont-explode/
<p>A new material prevents overheating, making lithium-ion batteries safer for use in vehicles.</p><p>A new polymer material could prevent the type of battery explosions that led to last year’s massive recalls of lithium-ion laptop batteries. (See “<a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/17362/">Safer Lithium-Ion Batteries</a>.”) By making such batteries safer, the new material could help clear the way for the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries in hybrid and electric vehicles. </p>Tue, 22 May 2007 04:00:00 +0000digitalservices407941 at http://www.technologyreview.com